28/04/2010 | Prizes
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu, the member of the Museum Prize judging panel, Virgil Stefan Nitulescu, and the Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg responsible for cultural policy, Daniel Payot, have awarded the 2010 Museum Prize to the Portimão Museum (Portugal), represented by the museum director, José Gameiro, and the Municipal Councillor in charge of cultural affairs in Portimão, Isabel Bica. The ceremony was held in the Palais des Rohan in Strasbourg.
27/04/2010 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting this week in plenary session in Strasbourg, today elected Ganna Yudkivska as judge to the European Court of Human Rights with respect to Ukraine. Mrs Yudkivska, having obtained an absolute majority of votes cast, is elected a judge of the European Court of Human Rights.
27/04/2010 | Session
Broader indicators of well-being need to be developed which take into account income and employment levels, the state of the environment, health and education, and the degree of development of democratic values, as well as purely economic benchmarks such as Gross Domestic Product, PACE said today. Debating a report by Konstantinos Vrettos (Greece, SOC), the Assembly said GDP – as a purely accounting tool – was inadequate as a measure of well-being and that it was high time economic growth, social harmony and protection of the environment were rebalanced to put quality of life first.
27/04/2010 | Session
In the first of four debates about the consequences of the economic crisis PACE called for action to put the Council of Europe`s values into practice in terms of recommending many new economic and social policies to its member states. In the adopted resolution, based on the proposals by the rapporteur Maria de Belem Roseira (Portugal, SOC), it notes how those with the strongest social and health protection systems are much better prepared, also economically, to face the challenges of the current crisis.
27/04/2010 | Session
Migrants are among the hardest hit by the crisis both in terms of job loss and in terms of how well they are accepted and integrated into society at a time of growing xenophobia. Their protection is paramount and the Assembly today recommended that European governments fully implement relevant Council of Europe conventions, improve measures to promote their human rights and to raise awareness about their positive contribution to society.
27/04/2010 | Session
The Parliament of Morocco is the first one to apply officially for the status of "partner for democracy". This status, recently established by the PACE, allows parliamentary delegations from the countries of the Mediterranean’s southern shore, the Middle East and central Asia to take part in the Assembly's activities. In return, parliaments seeking "partner for democracy" status must declare their commitment to the Council of Europe's values, undertake to hold free and fair elections, work towards abolishing the death penalty and encourage balanced participation of women and men in political life.
27/04/2010 | Session
The Assembly today elected Ganna Yudkivska as judge to the European Court of Human Rights with respect to Ukraine. Mrs Yudkivska, having obtained an absolute majority of votes cast, is elected a judge of the European Court of Human Rights for a term of office of six years starting as of the date of taking up office and in any event not later than three months as from 27 April 2010.
27/04/2010 | Session
The current economic crisis has undoubtedly created a generally unfavourable social environment for most families all over Europe, according to the Assembly. Following the proposals by the rapporteur, Luca Volontè (Italy, EPP/CD), the parliamentarians said that a comprehensive family policy should be a core priority for each Council of Europe member state.
27/04/2010 | Session
The financial crisis which triggered the economic crisis was literally “man-made”, the Assembly said today at the end of a debate on women and the crisis. And this crisis, it added, could have been avoided if there had been “more women in decision-making positions”. To avoid the risk of history repeating itself, and following the proposals by the rapporteur Nursuna Memecan (Turkey, ALDE) the parliamentarians called for measures for gender-balancing in the boardrooms and top leadership and decision-making positions.
27/04/2010 | Session
Reforming the Council of Europe would make it "more politically relevant and influential," Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland has declared. The organisation would focus "on what we can do best, in areas where we can make a real impact" he told the Parliamentary Assembly on 27 April. The Secretary General urged greater coordination and cooperation on all parts of the Organisation as vital to ensuring that new dividing lines in Europe did not emerge.
27/04/2010 | Session
Ukraine will fully comply with its Council of Europe commitments before it begins its Chairmanship of the organisation in May 2011, President Viktor Yanukovych pledged today, speaking before PACE in his first address to an international body since being elected. Developing Ukraine’s democracy was an “undisputed priority”, said Mr Yanukovich, who also promised to guarantee a free media, work to eradicate corruption and carry out judicial reform. His aim was to restore Ukraine as a reliable and predictable partner, committed to European values: "I have been elected President to act, and not to dream – and I will act," he said.
27/04/2010 | Session
In a resolution adopted today, the Assembly invites Council of Europe member states to "acknowledge that women must be fully involved in the conflict prevention and resolution and crisis management process". Members take the view that, in areas of Europe where there are unresolved conflicts, as in other conflict and post-conflict zones in the world, women are too often ignored in the peace negotiation process.